


These walls are closing in

by mdianesq



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, I'll improve the name tags as we find out more about them, ladyqueen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-12 04:45:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11729757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mdianesq/pseuds/mdianesq
Summary: Victoria Tremaine's life in Hyperion Heights, after casting the curse, is far from what she had expected. Three years of the same monotonous life were killing her slowly. That was until she ended up at Roni's and found there something -someone- new.The characters are almost original because I don't have much to work with right now but I'm doing my best and writing my headcanons here. I will explain Victoria's story from her Enchated Forest life via flashbacks. Updates every other day.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, not much to say. If you are as curious about ladyqueen as I am, even if we know nothing about Roni or Lady Tremaine, I think you'll like this fic. I'm going to get into Victoria's past, I don't want the' not knowing anything about her character' part to stop me from writing a multi-dimensional character so yeah.  
> I love hearing your opinions so feel free to leave comments and kudos!

She looked up one more time, still hoping to find the brunette she kept staring at closer, but nothing.

She found herself in that bar for the third time in a week. There was something -someone- about it that was making her come back over and over again.

Being Mayor was not as entertaining as she thought it would be. It was great bossing people around and finally feeling like she could control everything again but after three years stuck in Hyperion Heights it was becoming monotonous.

There was still this feeling inside of her, that something was missing from her life. Maybe it was James, maybe it was her other daughter… But it felt different somehow. She still couldn’t completely figure that out.

Casting this curse should have brought her happiness, or at least relief. But she felt even more alone than before, if that was even possible.

She was so lost in her own thoughts she didn’t realize that someone was talking to her.

“Wha-?” She started saying.

She forgot the words she was going to say when she saw who was standing in front of her, behind the bar counter.

“I asked if you’d like another whisky.” The woman said gently.

“Oh. Yes. Thank you.” Victoria answered still a bit shocked.

She had been trying to find out more about the mysterious woman that owned that bar for days and she finally had the chance now.

After spending year after year seeing the same faces she very well knew from the Enchanted Forest she had been very surprised to find someone she couldn’t recognize.

The previous week she had to take a different route home from her office. Some workers were still finishing a few renovations she had decided to do on the main street.

She was walking down the street when it started raining really hard. She wouldn’t have found that so strange if she didn’t know that Hyperion Heights was the result of a curse she had casted and as improved as it was, it still had its flaws. It was always sunny there. Always. In three years, she hadn’t seen a single drop of rain.

It was fine because she didn’t really enjoy rainy weather much and she knew people wouldn’t question any of it because they were cursed not to.

In an attempt to save her very expensive suit, she got into the first bar she saw on her way home.

“Roni’s.” She murmured to herself when she read the sign.

And for some reason, the name stuck with her.

She sat down at the counter and ordered a whisky to pass the time. It didn’t take her long to notice a brunette on the other side of the bar. Her short curls were moving at her rhythm and she found herself staring at the other woman.

She was new. And that wasn’t a word she had used much ever since she arrived at Hyperion Heights.

She had never seen that woman before and yet there was something about her that felt familiar, maybe even right. She was curious, she wanted to know more about her. But she wasn’t really the extroverted type, she had no idea how to approach her. Or if she even should do that in the first place.

The excitement was driving her crazy. It was a small thing, but it seemed like a big deal after all those years of… absolutely nothing.

That day she hadn’t done or said anything. Neither the day after that or the other two that she went back, sat down in exactly the same spot and ordered a glass of whisky. On the rocks.

And now she had this woman, Roni -she was assuming, by the name of the bar-, right in front of her, making an actual conversation.

She seemed down to earth, relaxed. She knew how to deal with people, Victoria thought.

“The name is Roni.” The brunette told her as she put another glass of whisky in front of her.

“You own this bar?” Victoria asked, even if she knew the answer.

“Yeah. All mine. I’ve been working inside these four walls for _as long as I can remember_.” She told her while leaning into the counter.

“It looks fine. Nice job.” The older woman told her.

“So, what’s your story?” Roni asked curious.

“What’s my story? What do you mean?” She said confused.

“Well, everyone comes here with a story. Call it the perk of this job if you want. After a few glasses, everyone starts to spill their biggest darkest secrets.” The brunette said smirking.

“I don’t have a story.” Lady Tremaine said plainly.

“Really? You’re telling me there’s nothing behind those hazel eyes?” The bartender asked her while getting a bit closer. She continued. “No name, no story?”

Victoria swallowed. She felt like this woman was reading her mind right there and seeing through her like nobody had done before. It was a new feeling. The N word again. Roni kept impressing her.

“Victoria. And no, no story. Just a normal, boring life.” She answered.

“Victoria. Vic-toria.” Roni said to herself, familiarizing with the name. “So, do you want to tell me about your normal, boring life?”

“You are truly persistent, aren’t you?” The Mayor said before pausing for a second. “And what’s _your_ story, Roni?”

The brunette definitely didn’t expect that. She knew people used her as their personal psychologist. And she was okay with that, it was part of her job. She didn’t expect them to actually acknowledge her yet there it was, a woman in a suit, looking like she was lost because she clearly didn’t fit in, making her existence about something more than her personal psychologist for a few hours.

“Uhm… I don’t usually spill everything sober. Maybe if you buy me a drink someday I’ll tell you all about it.” Roni said flirty.

“Maybe someday.” Victoria told her soon before leaving.

When she got out of the bar it wasn’t raining anymore. She looked back one more time before heading towards her house. She was definitely coming back.

* * *

 

_Many years before. The Enchanted Forest._

“May I have this dance?” A tall man asked her while reaching out to her.

She looked up and saw James. He was the dreamy type of man. The kind that every girl dreamed of marrying. She didn’t doubt for a second before answered him.

“You may.” She informed him as she got up of her chair.

It was a royal party. She didn’t like much those events because her mother was always trying to correct every single thing she saw as a flaw in her.

But now she was excited, because she knew James would be there and she hadn’t been able to think about anything else ever since she met him when they were kids.

He was perfect. By any standards. Her mother loved him and she was getting there herself.

He was royalty, but still, he was humble and good. The only thing that her mother didn’t quite like about him was that he already had a daughter, a three-year-old that was the product of his first marriage. Sadly, the kid’s mother had died while giving birth so he had to raise her on his own.

Now, he was finally looking for another wife and Victoria was more than willing to marry him.

So, dance after dance and many moons later they made it official.

They got married, not long after their engagement. It was not ideal for them but Victoria’s mother wanted her to have the title that came with their marriage already.

Even if their relationship wasn’t perfect, she still felt like she needed to please her mother as much as she could so they got married.

The children came eventually too.

Two daughters and a step-daughter later she found herself following the exact same path her mother had before her. The exact same thing she had tried to run from her entire life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There are a few hetero kisses in the first paragraphs. Sorry for the inconvenience.

**_Many years before. The Enchanted Forest._ **

“Lady Tremaine. My lady.” James teased as he came closer to her.

“Will you ever stop doing that?” She said laughing while pulling him closer.

“I will keep doing anything that makes you blush and laugh like that until my last breath.” He said before kissing her.

“You wouldn’t want to be late, would you?” Victoria told him with a smile on her face before breaking their embrace.

“Cinderella really wants to go to this ball with the other children. You’re right, I should get going.” He informed her before kissing her goodbye.

She smiled before getting back to her chores.

Even if the start of their marriage hadn’t been as ideal as she would have wanted -thanks to her mother, mostly-, they were really happy those days.

It wasn’t that easy to find love in times when arranged marriages were the norm. Victoria was as happier as she could have been. She had it all. Just before losing everything.

**_The present. Hyperion Heights._ **

“The Sheriff says she is here to see you.” Her secretary informed her through the phone.

“Let her in.” The Mayor said. “Drizella. What brings you here?” She continued as the brunette walked through the door of her office.

“Isn’t seeing my mother reason enough?” Her daughter said as she sat down.

“If I didn’t know you better I would almost believe that.”

“Trust me, you will want to hear about this.”

“Well, if you are so certain of that…”

“Cinderella is moving to the other side of Hyperion Heights. I can’t believe her, honestly.” Drizella told her mother annoyed.

“Really? She didn’t say anything.”

“Is not like you actually talk to her so. She’s probably sick of this bullshit. I don’t blame her. I would have left too.”

“I thought I raised you better than that. And what, you are Cinderella’s best friend now?” Victoria said irritated.

“She’s still the most annoying person ever but I never thought she would actually leave us.” She said almost sad.

Their relationship was complicated. Cinderella was never a daughter to Victoria but she was a bit of a sister to Drizella. Even if they were constantly fighting and arguing, there was some love there, as much as they hated to admit it.

Now the woman in the glass shoes had left them. They weren’t really a family, not in a traditional way for that matter, but it still felt like a loss.

“I should go. My shift starts soon.” Drizella informed her mother before heading towards the door.

“You should come for dinner. I have some leftovers from yesterday and I won’t be able to finish them all.” Victoria offered.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll see you tonight then.” The younger woman said as she left.

They both knew that was a lie but they were lonely. Her daughter because she had nothing and herself because she had lost everything.

They didn’t have the best relationship either but they were all they had. At least Drizella didn’t really know what she was missing…

**_Many years before. The Enchanted Forest._ **

“Mom!! What happened to daddy?!” Anastacia cried to her mother.

Victoria looked into her teary eyes and she could only think of James’ body on her bed.

“Mama, I’m scared. Why is Cinder crying? What happened to papa?” Drizella said joining her sister.

Lady Tremaine tried to hold her own tears back and did her best not to break down in front of her daughters.

“It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.” She whispered to them while pulling them into her arms.

Drizella broke their hug to run towards Cinderella, who was crying alone in the hall.

“Cinder. Don’t cry, please.” She said as she pulled her older sister into a hug.

Victoria couldn’t watch the scene. It was all her fault. James was dead because of her. She didn’t get to play the victim and cry into a corner.

Her anger kept growing and growing as she saw her daughters comforting Cinderella.

She left them there and went back to her room, where James was laying. She broke down as soon as the door behind her closed.

“You said you would never leave me you liar!” She sobbed into James’ dead body. “You… you said you would never leave.” She finished almost as a whisper.

Moments after the door opened and her step-daughter was standing there, looking at her with guilty eyes and tears running down her face.

She ran towards Victoria and pulled her into a hug. The older woman got away from her moments after.

“Get out of here.”

“But papa…” Cinderella started saying before she got cut by lady Tremaine’s screams.

“See your papa?! Well, he’s dead. Dead! You’re never going to see him again and neither am I and it’s all your fault! You insolent brat. If you hadn’t insisted so much in going to that stupid ball he will still be alive. This is all your fault. Now. Get out of here.” She said taking off all of her anger on the 10-year-old that was now crying in front of her.

Cinderella run out of there sobbing and Victoria felt guilty. Deep down she knew it wasn’t her fault but every single time she thought of James now the only thing she could see was his dead body and that girl’s tears mixing with his blood.

She tried to love her, she really did, for James. But every day that passed she could only see in her the moment she lost everything.

**_The present. Hyperion Heights._ **

She went grocery shopping because she didn’t really have leftovers and she wanted to cook something special for her daughter.

It had been almost a week since the last time she had been to Roni’s. She was still curious about her but something was telling her to let this go. She had lost too much to risk having something new to lose.

It was between the fruit and the pasta section where she could have sworn that she saw Roni again. Maybe it was just her mind playing her tricks.

She was so lost in that thought she bumped into someone. And of course that someone was Roni.

“What… What are you doing here?” She said confused.

“Nice to see you too.” Roni teased.

“I didn’t mean it like that… I’m just surprised to see you out here… Outside of the bar…” She tried to fix it.

“You know I’m a person from 9 to 6, right?” The younger woman tried to say as offended as she could but she couldn’t hide her smile. It felt great to make Victoria nervous.

“I know yo-.” Lady Tremaine started saying before she got interrupted by a tall man that greeted her.

“Good afternoon, madam Mayor.” He said as he passed by.

Roni arched her eyebrows surprised.

“So, you are a person too, madam Mayor? I didn’t know royalty visited the supermarket too.” She kept teasing.

“I’m only human.” She answered plainly.

“I haven’t seen you in a while.” Roni said out of the blue.

“Is not like you have seen me many times.”

“Well, I did enjoy every one of your visits to my bar.” Victoria seemed taken aback, she hadn’t expected Roni to notice her before their first conversation the previous week. “It’s hard not to see you.” She said smirking.

“You can unsee me now. If you don’t mind moving out of my way, I have some things to do.” Victoria said while looking her in the eye.

“Don’t worry. I don’t get scared easily.” Roni kept smirking before finally getting away from the Mayor.

When she did so Victoria felt like she could stop holding her breath again. She bit her lip, maybe Roni wasn’t scared, but she surely was.

Minutes after, when she finished her shopping she saw the younger woman getting onto a motorcycle. They made eye contact and Roni smiled before putting her helmet on and disappearing.

I didn’t take a genius to figure out that that woman would be her damnation, Victoria thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my the parallels with the Evil Queen. I hope you're enjoying this. Sorry for the short amount of Roni in today's chapter, but it was necessary for the plot to talk more about Victoria's story.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Five years before. The Enchanted Forest._ **

“I am so excited! The princes will both be there.” Anastacia told her sister.

“So, what? Do you think they will want to marry you after seen you for less than what a blink lasts? Because that is how long we will be in the same room as them.” Drizella said.

“You don’t have to be like that.” Her sister told her annoyed.

“Like what? Realistic?” The brunette continued.

“Never mind.”

“Girls, please. Are you ready? We have to get going if we don’t want to be late to the ball.” Lady Tremaine told her daughters.

“Cinder is not coming?” Drizella asked her mother.

“No, she is not. She has chores to do.” She answered plainly.

Her younger daughter finished getting ready disappointed.

The ball was just like every other royal event. So many years had passed since she was a teenager and her mother forced her to go to those things and yet she still found them terribly boring.

Her daughters were dancing and she was alone, smiling at strangers and waiting for it all to be over when a strange man approached her.

“Lady Tremaine, may I have this dance?” He asked with a smile on his face.

“How do you know my name?” She asked confused.

“Let’s just say I know a lot of things.” He said plainly.

“You are The Sorcerer, aren’t you? I have heard many things about you.” Victoria finally realized after inspecting him a bit.

“Oh, there are a lot of stories about me. I can’t say all of them are true.” He said while slowly dancing with her in the crowd.

“Is it true what they say about your magic?” She asked curious.

“What do they say about it, dearie?”

“That it always comes with a price.” Victoria said.

The older man laughs.

“Well, all magic comes with a price. Even light magic. It’s how the world works. It needs balance. You take something, you have to give another thing in return.” The Sorcerer stats.

“So, you are an actual sorcerer or more of a magic dealer?” She teased.

“Magic is complex. Not everyone can do it. Most people are not strong enough to even cast a spell. While other could cast a curse with little effort. If they are trained right, of course.” He informed her.

“And you are one of those people?” She asked curious.

“Oh, no. Not me, dearie. But you, on the other hand, you are really powerful. You may have never practiced magic on purpose, but you emanate a really strong magic. I can feel it from miles from here.” He told her excited.

“Wha-? I don’t have… magic.” She said whispering.

“You do, dearie. You do. And you don’t have to whisper. Nobody will hear us, I put a spell on us.” The Sorcerer informed her.

She stopped dancing and got away from him.

“I don’t want anything to do with dark magic.”

“Oh, but you do. I can give you everything you want. For the right price, of course. Think about it. The price is not that high when it gives you all you need.” The older man told her before vanishing.

She could barely say anything before she saw him disappear right in front of her ~~salad~~ eyes.

She immediately went to look for her daughters, she wanted to get out of there really fast.

“Take your things, we are going.” She told them serious.

“But we’ve barely been here! The princes haven’t even come ou-.” Anastacia started complaining.

“We are going. Now.” Victoria interrupted her.

**_The present. Hyperion Heights._ **

Days had passed since her encounter with Roni at the supermarket but it was still the only thing on her mind.

After three years stuck with the exactly same routine it was strange for her to see that change drastically.

She didn’t know what to do. For the last few years she had been doing the same thing: waking up early, having breakfast, going to her office, having lunch, taking a walk in the afternoon, doing some paperwork, having dinner and going to sleep.

Maybe some days she would get a visit from Drizella or she would have a small fight with Cinderella over something stupid. But that was it for her. And she was almost convinced she was doomed to live like that for the rest of her life.

She was scared, because even though she was dying to just go to Roni’s and try to start whatever was about to happen between them, there was still something holding her back.

She knew what it was to love someone, to have a family, to be loved. And it had all been taken away from her. Maybe some of it was her own making. But right now, she had nothing. Just a boring life, a routine that was killing her slowly.

Roni was something so different from what she had ever seen. She knew a huge part of her was the result of a curse she had casted but not even the most powerful curse of all could completely erase someone’s personality. Somehow, she felt like she could see over the mask her magic had put on Roni. It felt so honest it had to be right.

Beating herself up over what to do became her favorite hobby for the week after she had bumped into Roni.

She had to see her, Victoria decided before getting into her car and driving towards Roni’s. She wasn’t going to wait until she changed her mind. She had to do this, for herself mostly. That was no way of living, if you could even call it living.

“So, you finally came.” Roni teased when she saw the Mayor walking in.

“One drink. One. And then I’m leaving.” Victoria said as she took her now regular sit.

“Sure. Whisky?” The brunette asked.

“On the rocks, please.” Lady Tremaine added.

“This one’s on me.” The younger woman told her with a huge smile on her face.

 _“Make me stay.”_ Victoria thought, even though she wasn’t ready to admit it to herself just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, yes, The Sorcerer is sort of Rumple 2.0. Since I posted this chapter sooo late today and it's shorter than usual, I'll post another one tomorrow, instead of the day after tomorrow. Then, I'll go back to posting every other day. I just felt like it was better to separe it like this. Thanks for reading! xoxo


	4. Chapter 4

**_Five years before. The Enchanted Forest._ **

Lady Tremaine was focused on her chores. She had an event to plan. It was Drizella’s 19th birthday and she wanted it all to be perfect. If she hadn’t been so focused on organizing that she may had noticed the tall man standing in the door of her bedroom.

“What are you doing here?” She said alarmed.

“Nice to see you too, dearie.” The Sorcerer said pretending to look offended.

“I’ve already told you I don’t want anything to do with your dark magic.” She told him again.

“You already have a lot to do with dark magic. Can’t you see it? It’s all over you. You’ve used it before.” He says getting closer to her.

“I have never used magic. I wouldn’t even know how!” Victoria said frustrated.

“Some things come natural. How do you think you managed to keep Cinderella in there if it wasn’t using magic?”

“You know a thing called door locks exist?”

“Oh, there are many more ways to get out of a place. And I assure you, she tried them all.”

“That’s not possible.” Lady Tremaine kept saying.

“There is a strong magic in you, Victoria. You just need to learn how to use it right and you will be unstoppable.” He assured her.

“I won’t let you ruin my daughter’s birthday. You must go.”

“I will, dearie. I just came to make my offer clear. Think about it. I’ll give your family what you want most. Your daughters will marry the twin princes. They will live in the castle and be treated like royalty. All I want in return is for you to let me teach you magic.” The Sorcerer told her excited.

“I-.” She started saying but he disappeared before she could say anything at all.

**_The present. Hyperion Heights._ **

She went to Roni’s to have one drink. Maybe two. Yet five drinks later she was still there.

“You should down a bit.” Roni told her.

The brunette was trying not to laugh. The Mayor, the most formal person she knew, was very drunk and trying not to fall of her chair.

“I’m fine. Give me another one of this.” She said the best she could.

When Victoria wasn’t looking she filled most of the glass with water and very little whisky.

“Here.”

“So, Roni.” Lady Tremaine started saying, emphasizing the letter O. “Have you ever loved someone?” She asked curious.

“Why do you ask me these things? You’ll probably don’t even remember it in the morning.” Roni said plainly.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

“You’re right, I haven’t.” The younger woman took a deep breath and continued. “I loved someone once.”

“Loved? What happened?” Victoria insisted.

“It’s a long story. But she loved someone else and we just couldn’t be. She was… I don’t know. Unique, maybe even special.” Roni said melancholic.

“Why did you stop loving her?”

“I didn’t just wake up one day and stopped loving her. It took a while. But it was just never meant to be. I still miss her. But I guess I miss our friendship more than anything. Not like we ever had anything more than that anyway.”

“I loved someone once too.” Lady Tremaine finally confessed.

“Victoria… You’re pretty drunk. You’ll probably regret telling me this stuff tomorrow.” Roni told her.

“I won’t. I want to tell you. He… He was perfect. Everybody loved him. Even my mother liked him. And she doesn’t like anyone.”

“What happened?” The brunette asked her.

“He… He had an accident. He’s gone now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I was a really long time ago. When he died, I just focused on raising my daughters.” Victoria told her.

“Do they live with you? Your daughters, I mean.” Roni asked her.

“No. They left me too. Give me another one of this.” She demanded pointing at her now empty glass.

“It’s 4 am already. I’m about to close. You should go home and rest. And tomorrow take an aspirin.” Roni suggested. “Did you drive here?”

“Yes, I did.” Victoria said very drunk.

“Shit. Okay, I’ll close the bar and drive you home.” The younger woman said.

“In that thing?!” Lady Tremaine said as she remembered Roni’s motorcycle.

“Well, you can’t drive. You can’t even walk. How are you planning to get home? Are you gonna teletransport there? Wait here. I’ll be ready to go in five minutes.” She informed the Mayor.

She couldn’t have gone anywhere even if she wanted. She tried to get up, but she was way too drunk to walk so she sat down again and waited for Roni.

Not too long after the other woman came back.

“Let’s go. Can you get up?” Roni asked her.

“Uhmmm… Not really.” She said almost amused.

“Come here.” The brunette said as she put an arm around her and helped her get up.

It was strange for her. She didn’t like physical contact very much. But she still missed it a bit and Roni was so gentle it was hard focusing on walking straight.

They got out of the bar and to her motorcycle, which was parked right in front of the building.

“Hold me tight. If you get sick or something tell me and I’ll stop.” She told Victoria before they both got into the motorcycle.

The older woman put her hand around Roni’s waist and hold her tight, just as the other woman wanted.

“Mifflin Street.” She said plainly and rested her head against the other woman’s back.

Soon enough they were there already. Roni helped her get off the motorcycle.

“I can’t believe I let you take me in that thing.” Victoria told her annoyed.

“Well, you’re here and alive, aren’t you?” Roni teased. “Can you walk?”

“Yes. I’m a bit better. The fresh air does wonders.”

Roni walked with her to the front door anyway, to be sure.

“I guess I’ll see you around.” The brunette said as a goodbye.

She was already turning around and walking towards her motorcycle when she heard two words coming from the other woman, almost as a whisper.

“Thank you.” Victoria told her.

She was going to answer but when she turned back at her she had already disappeared into the house.

**_Five years before. The Enchanted Forest._ **

She was supposed to focus on her daughter Drizella but all she could think about was the deal The Sorcerer had offered her. She was surprised to find herself actually considering it.

She wanted the best for her daughter and the price to have that wasn’t that big. It was crazy. But her older daughter was already 19 and she wasn’t even engaged yet. Besides, a few magic lessons wouldn’t do too much harm to anyone, right?

That same night she decided she made her decision. She just had to get The Sorcerer to come back. She knew he was always watching so she called his name a few times.

“Where are you?” She said annoyed when he didn’t appear.

“Don’t be impatient, dearie. I have other obligations too.” The Sorcerer told her.

“I’ve made a decision.” Victoria informed him.

“What’s it going to be then?” He asked curious.

“Let’s start those magic lessons.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering: no, Roni doesn't have her memories. But the curse was made focusing on certain people, so for the rest it sort of changed their memories a bit to erase magic and to fit their new personality. Yes, she was talking about Emma. I'm the worst, I know.  
> In the next chapters we'll find out where the hell is Anastacia though you may already have an idea...  
> I'll probably post another chapter tonight or tomorrow morning!


	5. Chapter 5

****

**_Three years before. The Enchanted Forest._ **

As soon as her magic lessons started, The Sorcerer, just as he had promised, gave her what she wanted.

Soon after, both of her daughters married the twin princes. They had been together for two years now. Anastacia and her husband were trying to have kids already and she was very happy with her life.

Drizella, on the other hand, wasn’t as happy and she kept saying she didn’t want kids. Lady Tremaine was still living at their old house with Cinderella so she barely saw her daughters anymore.

She assumed life at the castle was great so she didn’t think much about Drizella’s unhappiness.

The only thing that was keeping her up were the magic lessons. She didn’t have anything else so learning more about magic was the one thing she looked forward to.

She was getting stronger and she could feel it. Discovering she had magic had been amazing even if she had struggled with accepting it as part of herself at first.

It wasn’t that excited but it seemed like it when she was miserable the rest of the time. She missed her daughters, she missed James -even if it didn’t hurt that much those days-, she missed being loved, or at least respected.

Now, she was stuck with Cinderella in an old house. It was entertaining to cast a few spells on the younger woman from time to time but that was pretty much it. Their relationship was inexistent. They barely talked and they didn’t care about each other.

Some days she felt guilt for not trying to have a good relationship with her step-daughter because she knew James would have wanted her to. But she still saw in that girl the reason the man that once had been the person she loved the most was dead.

She had heard The Sorcerer talk about a curse for years. She knew she was strong enough to cast it, he had said it himself, but still, he wasn’t giving it to her.

After years like that, the need to escape and go to a place where she could be happy was very strong.

“I want to cast the curse. The dark curse you told me about.” Victoria told The Sorcerer one day.

He laughed as soon as he heard the words.

“Oh, dearie. You are no way near ready to cast that curse.” He told her.

“Why? You told me I was strong enough to do it. And I can feel it. I know I am.” Lady Tremaine said angry.

“This is not about how strong or powerful you are. That part is easy. You could cast the dark curse easily with your magic and my training.”

“So? What’s the problem then? Are the ingredients hard to get? I have gold. I could get them easily.” She said excited.

“It’s not the ingredients. It’s the price you have to pay to cast it. And you are not ready for that just yet.”

“What is it? When you offered me this deal you told me that sometimes the price wasn’t that high if it gave you everything you needed, or something like that. I need this. I can’t live like this anymore. It’s too much. Whatever I have to give in return, I will. Is not like I have much more to lose.” She asked.

“To cast the dark curse, you have to give the heart of the person you love the most.” The Sorcerer explained her.

“Wha-? That is insane. I would never kill someone. Specially not someone so dear to me.” She said astonished.

“Oh, dearie. I never told you this was going to be easy.”

**_The present. Hyperion Heights._ **

For the first time in years, Victoria woke up almost at noon. She felt terrible. She had never had a hangover. And she was still trying to remember some bits from the night before.

She had even got into a motorcycle, with Roni! She must have been very drunk.

As soon as she got out of bed she took an aspirin and made herself breakfast. She was usually fine with a cup of coffee but she needed food to make the hangover go away.

Luckily, she didn’t have much work to do that day but she had to go to the office to sign some contracts. She looked for her purse for half an hour everywhere, twice. She couldn’t find it and she needed it.

When she was about to give up someone knocked on the front door. She imagined it was Drizella, she had called her and told her she wanted to see her because she had some news.

So, when she opened the door she was surprised to see a very different brunette standing there.

“Hey.” Roni says with a small smile.

“Roni. What are you doing here?” Victoria asked confused.

“Uhm. You forgot your purse at the bar. I thought you could need it.” The younger woman told her as she handed her the bag.

“Oh. Thank you. I was actually looking for it.” Victoria told her grateful.

“How are you feeling?” Roni asked her.

“Shocked because I still can’t believe you were the adult last night. Don’t worry, is not going to happen again any time soon.” Lady Tremaine said almost embarrassed.

“Sure.” The other woman said still smiling. “I should go back. I hired this kid who probably hasn’t done any of this ever and the bar is probably destroyed by now so I should go check on her.” Roni said as a goodbye.

“Well, I have to go back to Town Hall soon so… Thank you, for bringing me the purse.” Victoria said a bit nervous. She really didn’t know how to deal with this woman.

“Yeah. It’s fine. I’ll see you… Whenever.” She said before turning around and leaving.

She was about to go back inside when she saw Drizella. Roni and her daughter crossed paths for a moment.

“Who was that?” She asked as soon as she saw her mother.

“No one. Come in. I believe you had something to tell me.” Victoria told her while guiding her towards the kitchen.

“Yeah… Well… It’s not a big deal, you know?” The younger woman started saying nervous.

“Did something happen?” Her mother asked concerned.

“Uhm, no. It’s dumb. Nothing to worry. I just… I’m seeing someone.” She finally said.

“Oh. Is it anyone I know?” Victoria wondered.

“No. I don’t think so. I… I wanted you to have dinner with us tonight.” Drizella told her.

“I thought you said it wasn’t a big deal.”

“Well, is not. But I’m excited and I think you’ll like each other. If you’re busy or whatever it’s okay. I just wanted to ask.”

“No. It’s fine. I will be there. Where is this dinner taking place?”

“Uhm. It’s at this bar-restaurant-whatever called Roni’s. I’ve never been there but apparently, it’s great. I’ll text you the address. Now I gotta go. My shift is about to start.” Her daughter said before disappearing again.

That was going to be an interesting event, Victoria thought before going back to her chores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts on Drizella???   
> Next chapter soon, probably tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

**_The present. Hyperion Heights._ **

She didn’t know what part of that dinner made her more nervous. If seeing Roni again or meeting Drizella’s boyfriend.

Her daughter had been affected by the curse just as everyone else. She didn’t know she was married to one of the princes. She was almost a new person.

But still, the curse was not that powerful, she should still love her husband, even if she didn’t know who or where he was.

Maybe the person she was dating was him. Maybe they had found each other again.

She tried not to think too much about it. They were going to meet in half an hour at Roni’s and she wasn’t even dressed.

It was just her daughter and some boyfriend after all, but she knew someone else would be there too. Even if she wasn’t willing to admit it to herself yet, for some reason she cared about what Roni thought of her.

After looking at the clock she ended up choosing a red tight dress, she was running late, there was no time for her stupid insecurities. She put a discrete lipstick on and headed towards the bar.

That afternoon, she had visited it again because her car was still there but Roni was somewhere else so she didn’t stay much.

She told herself that she stopped by to have a drink because she needed a break -and not because she wanted to see Roni again- so much that she almost believed it.

Without delaying it any longer she walked into the bar and sat down at the table Drizella had reserved.

Her daughter was nowhere to be seen -and neither was Roni, not that she cared-. She texted her and seconds later she got an answer.

“We’re almost there. We just parked.” Her daughter sent her.

Just as she took her eyes off her phone she saw the brunette coming in. With a woman. A tall blonde. That was unexpected.

She knew Drizella wasn’t very happy back in the Enchanted Forest, but she never thought it was because she didn’t love the prince. Homosexuality and bisexuality weren’t very common and accepted there. After all, those were medieval times. She never expected her daughter to be gay.

“Mom, this is Alice, my girlfriend.” Drizella said as they sat down at the table.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs Tremaine.” The blonde said nicely while offering her hand to the older woman.

Her daughter was nervously biting down her lip watching the scene.

“Nice to meet you too, Alice. You can call me Victoria.” She said with a smile.

She could almost hear Drizella’s relieved sight.

“What can I get you?” The waitress asked them.

They looked at the menus and choose their meals.

“The food here is amazing. One of my coworkers suggested me this place and every time I’ve eaten here I was very pleased. Look, that is Roni, the bar owner. She helps in the kitchen from time to time and she’s an amazing cook!” Alice told them.

Victoria had been so focused on their conversation she hadn’t even bothered on looking if Roni had finally come back. Now, the brunette was behind the bar, as usual.

“Isn’t that the woman that you were talking to when I came?” Drizella asked her mother curious.

“Yes. She is. We had some issues to discuss.” She said plainly.

“Since when do you know each other?” Her daughter insisted.

“We don’t. She came to make an appointment for a meeting and I told her to call my office.”

She didn’t know why she was lying, not exactly. But her relationship with Roni, if you could even call her that, was still very new -and strange- to her to explain it to her daughter in a few sentences.

“So, where do you work Alice?” She changed the topic quickly, before Drizella could ask more questions.

“I’m a psychologist. I work at the Hyperion Heights Mental Health Center.” Alice told her.

“Oh, so that’s how you two met.” Victoria said finally putting the pieces together.

The dinner didn’t last long. They hadn’t even finished their meals when Drizella was called in. Apparently, there was some fight in a bar.

“I’m sorry, I wish I could stay. But I gotta take care of this.” Her daughter said.

“It’s fine. Go. This one is on me. We will finish this another time. It was nice meeting you, Alice. Maybe you could come for dinner sometime.” Victoria told the blonde.

“I’d love to.” She answered happily.

“Thanks mom. I’ll see you tomorrow, Alice.” She told her girlfriend before giving her a goodbye kiss.

Both women left and Victoria went to the bar counter.

“Whisky? On the rocks?” Roni asked her as soon as she took her usual place.

Lady Tremaine laughed. She wasn’t planning on going there again.

“I will take a glass of red wine.” She finally said.

“That was your daughter, right?” The brunette asked as she poured her wine.

“Yes. She wanted to introduce me to her girlfriend.” Victoria informed her.

“Oh. Well, that went well.” Roni said.

“What? You are spying on me now?”

“You’re the one that keeps coming to my bar. Your table wasn’t that far away from me. I wasn’t spying on you.” The younger woman told her.

Victoria waited a few seconds before talking again.

“She’s a nice woman. They look happy. It was just… Unexpected.”

“Yeah. Alice is a great kid. She comes here often.”

“So I’ve been told. Apparently, you are a great cook.” Victoria teased.

“I’ll show you someday.” Roni told her.

The older woman took a deep breath and tried her best to take her eyes away from the brunette’s lips.

“What are you doing to me?” She asked the other woman.

“What am I doing to you?”

“You make me tell you things I wouldn’t tell other people.”

“Oh, I’m flattered. But it’s just the magic of the alcohol.” Roni said with a soft smile.

Victoria started at her again, searching for an answer to every single question that was coming to her mind. But the only thing she could see was a _maybe_ , or an _almost._ She couldn’t tell just yet.

****

**_Three years before. The Enchanted Forest._ **

Lady Tremaine looked at the potion she was making. There was only one ingredient missing.

She took the thing in her hand and tossed it in the mix.

“What have you done?!” The Sorcerer yelled at her as soon as he walked into the room.

“Cast the curse. It’s finished. I did it. I’m finally going to escape from this hell.” Victoria told him excited.

“I never thought you had it in you.” He said impressed.

“Me neither.” She said before a dark cloud filled the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, Drizella is veeery different from canon -from what we know, at least-, but I couldn't care less honestly.  
> The next chapter will be up soon because I'm excited to write it! A bit of a plot twist coming soon...  
> Tell me what you think in the comments!  
> You can also find me on twitter: @xSqReginax, if you want to know when I'm posting!!  
> PS: Do you want to know more about Alice and Drizella or should I focus on Roni and Victoria?


	7. Chapter 7

**_Three years before. The Enchanted Forest._ **

“Mother?” Anastacia asked as she entered the room.

“What’s happening? What’s that?” Drizella asked her mother.

“What the hell did you do?! They are both here and very much alive from what I see! How did you cast the curse?!” The Sorcerer asked her angry.

“I… I used a very dear possession to me… The only thing I had left from James. And it worked! The curse is working! I would never take the life of any of my daughter for this!” Lady Tremaine told him.

“You naïve woman. The heart of the person you love the most is needed for this curse, trust me, sooner or later it will be taken. No curse would work without that sacrifice.” He informed her.

“But… No! How can I stop it?” She asked desperate.

The Sorcerer laughed at her. “You can’t stop the dark curse, dearie. It can only be broken with true love, once its already happening, of course. And I assure you, not even true love will bring back the dead. So, you should start saying goodbye to your daughters.”

“Whatever happens now, remember I lo-.” She started telling her daughters with tears in her eyes but the curse was already there.

**_Three years before. Hyperion Heights._ **

Moments later she found herself in a strange place she had never seen before.

She went outside and realized that the curse had worked. She was in a new place and everyone was cursed. She started panicking. That meant one of her daughters was dead.

It couldn’t be. There had to be a way to fix that. She went looking for the only person that had an answer. But she didn’t know where to look. And she had no more magic. She had tried casting a spell to find him but she didn’t have magic there.

She started inspecting the house. There were photos of herself and both of her daughters. Maybe they were okay. Even Cinderella was in some of the pictures.

“Mom. Why aren’t you ready? We are having dinner, remember?” Drizella said as she entered the house.

“Drizella?! You are okay!” Victoria said hugging her daughter.

“Uhm… Yeah. Are _you_ okay?” The brunette said confused.

“Where is Anastacia? Is she okay?”

“Well… As okay as she could be. The doctors say she’s making some progress… Do you want to go see her? You haven’t visited in a while and I know that deep down she misses you.” Drizella told her.

“Take me to her.” She told her daughter.

“Wha-? Now?”

“Yes.” She said.

“Visiting hours are almost over, mom. And we were about to get dinner!” Drizella told her annoyed.

“Please.” Victoria insisted.

“Okay, fine. Let’s go.” The young woman said resigned.

**_The present. Hyperion Heights._ **

The day after, Drizella came to her office for official matters. The altercation at the bar that had made her daughter run from their dinner had been more important than it had seemed at first.

One of the people involved in the fight had ended up in a coma so his family wanted to sue.

“This is all, I think. I’ve been doing paperwork the whole morning.” The brunette complained.

“Drizella. Is Alice one of Anastacia’s doctors? That is how you two met, isn’t it?” Victoria wondered.

“Well, we did meet there. She works on the same floor but Ana is not her patient, that would be weird and kinda illegal. I met her there, we kept seeing each other and we ended up having coffee. One thing led to another and… Here we are. You would have met her too if you bothered to go check on Anastacia from time to time.” She told her mother.

“You know it’s not easy for me.” Lady Tremaine said sad.

“I know… I’m sorry. But it’s not easy for me either… Seeing her like that. Every time I think she’s improving she goes back to zombie mode. I should be used to it by now but it still creeps me out. It’s like she has no soul.” Drizella told her with tears in her eyes.

“Something like that, yes…” She took a pause to try to breath properly again and continued. “I will go check on her… I’m sorry I’ve been distant. I didn’t mean to.” She told her daughter.

“I know…”

That afternoon she decided to go see Anastacia. She hadn’t been back to the Mental Health Center in a while. It hurt her way too much to see her own daughter like that. She knew it was all her fault.

Every single day she blamed herself for casting that curse. She should have listened to The Sorcerer. Sometimes not everything was literal when it came to magic. And she should know better, that had been one of her first lessons.

Her first day in Hyperion Heights, when she had found out about her daughter’s destiny she had been horrified. Seeing her life that, without a heart, not literally but figurately. She couldn’t feel anything. She was, as Drizella had said, a zombie.

She had been institutionalized ever since. She knew the doctors wouldn’t be able to cure her because it was all the result of magic. Dark magic.

She just wanted a happy life, away from the Enchanted Forest. Instead, all she had now was guilt, a daughter that could never feel anything for her and another one that would hate her if she knew the truth about everything.

She didn’t even want to think how Drizella would feel if she found out she was married to a man and basically forced to live in a castle and procreate.

She felt disgust and more guilt. How could anyone love her after that? How could have James loved her in the first place?

After a short drive to the Center she left her car in the parking lot and got inside.

“Good afternoon. I’m Anastacia’s Tremaine mother. I’m here to see her.” She informed the secretary.

“She’s in room 112. On the third floor.” The man at the desk informed her after checking it in his computer.

“Thank you.”

She was nervous. She knew Ana would say much. She wasn’t much of a talker those days.

Before entering the room, she saw a now familiar blonde in the hallway.

“Mrs Tremaine. Are you here to see Anastacia?” Alice asked her.

“Yes. I am indeed. Are you leaving already?” She asked the other woman, since she wasn’t wearing the coat all the other psychologists were wearing.

“Yeah. My shift just finished.” The blonde informed her.

“Are you meeting my daughter?” Lady Tremaine asked her curious.

“Yeah, she’s actually coming to pick me up. I should get going, I don’t want to make her wait too much.” She told the older woman kindly.

“Oh, no. We wouldn’t want that. I should see Anastacia.”

“Nice to see you!” She told Victoria before disappearing.

“Nice to see you too.”

She walked inside the room just after Alice was gone.

“Anastacia. How are you?” She asked her daughter as soon as she laid eyes on her.

“Well, they made me watch a documentary about birds today. Heartbreaking.” She said sarcastically.

Victoria didn’t know what to say. That wasn’t her daughter. Just a woman with a new identity and no feelings.

“Have you met Alice?” She said changing topics.

“Drizella’s girlfriend? Yeah. They are basically married. So annoying sometimes. She’s so cheerful it makes me nauseous.” Anastacia said plainly.

And Lady Tremaine remembered why she barely visited. She couldn’t recognize anything in the woman that had been her daughter once. Something that was her fault entirely. She couldn’t stand that anymore.

She made small talk with her for a bit longer and got out of there as fast as she could.

She needed a drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super sorry for the lack of Roni in this chapter. But I needed to get this out of the way. I'll focus more on ladyqueen from now on, with less flashblacks. I hope you enjoyed it though, let me know on the comments! I love reading them! Next chapter tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

**_The present. Hyperion Heights._ **

Just as she parked her car, once again, in front of the bar, she realized how she had fallen into a new routine. Every single time something wasn’t working in her life, she run to Roni’s. It was her way to escape her reality, one of her own making.

She was used to suffering, it had become a part of her. But seeing her daughter again had been too much, even for her. Although it hurt her, she wanted to try. Ever since she had arrived in Hyperion Heights she had given up on her family. Maybe even before the curse.

Drizella was not entirely herself yet she had never been so true to her nature. She had accepted herself, she had stopped caring what her mother thought and did her best to improve her relationship with Cinderella and she had left her fears back in the Enchanted Forest and finally started loving, with her whole heart.

Victoria really admired her. Her daughter had come a long way. Lady Tremaine’s relationship with Cinderella was complicated but she knew Drizella loved her and considered her a sister. They had been more distant the last few years but the brunette was clearly missing Cinder, even if she wouldn’t admit that to her mother.

The only thing that worried her when it came to Drizella was the curse breaking. Victoria knew that I will happen eventually and she was scared of losing her daughters after that. She would never forgive her for lying to her, making a deal to get her married to a man and specially, she would probably think her mother loved more Anastacia.

Even if the curse had taken the heart of only one of her daughters, she loved them both just as much. But, it was true that Anastacia was a living copy of James. So, the curse took what Victoria offered it: the last memory she had of her ex-husband.

Now, one of her daughters wasn’t even really there, the other one was making her own life and family without her and Cinderella had finally put an end to their decades-long feud.

She had no idea where her step-daughter was or if she would ever come back.

So, she had to try. She had to wake up and make an effort if she wanted something more than old photographs as reminders of what she could still have. Going to see Anastacia again had been hard, but it was something.

Just before entering Roni’s she texted Drizella and invited her and her girlfriend for dinner at the house.

She stopped for a moment, still outside. She didn’t want fear to stop her from doing what she wanted but she was feeling a lot after decades of not feeling anything more than pain. Maybe it hurt her seeing Anastacia like that because she could see herself in her.

Her heart might not have been taken away from her but she had been feeling like something was missing for a long time.

And now it was overwhelming.

She entered the bar and Roni was nowhere to be seen. It was strange because her motorcycle was parked outside. But, since the other woman wasn’t there she decided not to take her usual seat, by the bar. It didn’t feel right.

Instead, she sat down at a table in one of the corners. When she was just about to order something, a very particular brunette took the seat in front of her.

“Madame Mayor, what brings you here?” Roni teased.

“Definitely not the music, is awful.” Victoria joked.

Roni bit her lip, Victoria smiled. They were having the silliest conversation yet there was still something there.

The older woman looked carefully at the brunette. She was wearing more casual clothes than usual.

“I’m not working today, in case you were wondering.” She informed her.

“Oh. So, why are you here then?” Lady Tremaine asked as she got closer.

“Well, I decided to let in charge the kid I hired but I wanted to keep an eye on her anyway so, here I am. Enjoying my free night.”

“That seems like work to me.”

“It’s not. Would you like to have a drink with me?” Roni asked her.

After considering it for a few moments she answered her. “I would. Although I’m not staying much, I have to wake up early tomorrow and the events of the other night won’t happen again anytime soon.” She clarified.

“Fine by me. Have you ever tried our apple cider?”

“No, I haven’t.” The other woman said.

“We should change that.” She said before facing the waitress that was coming towards them.

Victoria was so focused on her phone, because Drizella was texting her, that she didn’t even notice the waitress until she was gone.

“Is that... Cinderella?” She wondered.

“Do you know her?” Roni asked curious.

The young woman was pouring them some apple cider so she couldn’t hear their conversation.

“Is she the person you just hired? Do you know where she lives?” Victoria asked.

“Uhm… Yeah. Do you know her?” Roni wondered again.

“She’s my step-daughter.” Victoria said plainly.

“Oh.”

“What is that ‘oh’ supposed to mean?” The Mayor asked annoyed by Roni’s tone.

“Well, she told me she had some problems with her family… I just didn’t expect this, sorry. But she’s just a kid. She needed a job, a place to stay…”

“A place to stay? Is she living here?!”

“Yeah. I wasn’t gonna let her on her own. She doesn’t have… anyone.”

“Oh, trust me, she did that to herself. I can’t believe you let her in here.” She said frustrated.

“Calm down, you don’t get to speak to me like that. First of all, I don’t owe you anything and second, you, madame Mayor, may not know much about being rejected from your own family or being alone, but some of us do. And I won’t let a kid go through that just because you two had some drama in the past.”

Roni was usually very calm, but when she got triggered she couldn’t stop. Victoria’s reaction was making her angry. She barely knew Cinderella, but she seemed like a great kid and Roni could relate to her on a certain level so seen Victoria in the opposite end of the story, hating the younger woman like that, was hurting her. It almost felt like the Mayor was rejecting her.

“Don’t talk about me like you know me, because you don’t. A few confessions when I was drunk don’t make you an expert on me. Do whatever you want with her, I don’t care. I’m leaving.” Victoria said as she took her things and started leaving.

“She doesn’t deserve this.” She told the other woman more calmly now.

“Neither do I.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you were asking me if Victoria loves one of her daughters more or what. I hope this cleared that up. She doesn't. She loves them both just as much.  
> In the next few chapters I'll focus more on Roni because there are some things to tell there too. And don't worry about their fight. This is one of those 'One step back, two steps forward' thing.


	9. Chapter 9

**_The present. Hyperion Heights._ **

She left the bar without looking back. She was angry and sad. She was finally feeling something good again and she had lost it before it even properly began. And because of Cinderella none less.

The last time she had cried had been the day she appeared in Hyperion Heights when she had seen Anastacia almost in a coma. She never cried after that. She just couldn’t. She felt like she didn’t have more tears to cry.

Yet now, she was trying her best to hold the tears back. She felt like a teenager. Betrayal, sadness, anger and a few more emotions she couldn’t describe were driving her crazy.

Roni was right, she didn’t owe her anything. She shouldn’t feel like this, but she was. She thought that the brunette understood her a bit, or at least, that she wasn’t the kind of person that would assume things about her based on appearances.

She drove back home and did her best to keep her mind occupied.

Meanwhile, Roni didn’t feel much better either. She knew she shouldn’t have get so angry at Victoria, but it hit so close to home she couldn’t help it.

She had found herself in the same situation as Cinderella a few years before. But that’s another story.

Although she wasn’t going to change her mind about hiring and giving a place to stay to the Mayor’s step-daughter, she felt bad for judging the other woman like that.

They had known each other for less than two weeks now but Victoria had become a part of her routine. She wanted to know more about her, the good and the bad. She knew life wasn’t black and white. She had accepted that and left her prejudices aside a long time ago.

Yet now she had managed to judge and offend someone she was starting to care about. She couldn’t let this end on a bad note.

She was tired so she went back home and tried to rest but she couldn’t. A few hours later Cinderella came back. The younger woman was staying in her guest room until she could find a place to stay.

“How was your first day on your own in the bar?” Roni asked her.

“It went good, actually. I was scared to take on so much responsibility so fast but it feels nice to be in charge.” Cinderella told her.

“I’m glad.” The brunette said a bit sad.

“I could’ve sworn I saw my step-mother today in the bar. I guess is the paranoia talking. I’m going crazy here.”

“No… It’s true. It was her.”

“I didn’t know you knew her.” Cinder said confused.

“Oh, I didn’t know either. I just found out today they are the same person.”

“You left in a rush earlier, was that because of her?” The other woman wondered.

“Sort of… We had an argument and I got a bit mad and she left.” Roni said while looking down.

“Oh. Were you two on a… date or something?”

“Uhm. No. Not really. I guess. I don’t know… But that’s beside the point.” The brunette said a bit nervous.

“Okay. I really don’t wanna know.” Cinder said surprised before sitting next to the other woman, on the couch. “Look, we don’t have the best relationship ever, but I know she feels a lot. She’s been through so much… It’s hard for her to open up to others and when she does she freaks out a bit… Just, be patient with her.”

“Wow. Thanks. I thought you two hated each other.”

“I don’t know how she feels about me but I don’t _hate_ her. It’s just… complicated.” Cinder told her sad.

“Well, you should rest now. You had a long day. Go take a bath and sleep, you deserve it.”

“Actually, I’m gonna take a quick shower and go. Drizella called me and she wants to see me. She kinda apologized and she was pretty nice so I’ll go see what she wants.”

“Oh. Maybe this is about Alice.” Roni told her.

“Who’s Alice? Is she her girlfriend? And why do you know more about my family than I do?” Cinderella joked.

“To be honest, I don’t know. And, did you know she was gay?” The brunette asked.

“Yeah. It had always been pretty obvious but she told me a while ago. But she wasn’t even considering dating anyone. So, who’s this Alice?”

“She’s a nice kid. She comes to Roni often. Maybe you’ve even met her already. They seem happy together.”

“I’m happy for her. We have our differences but she’s a good person. She deserves some happiness… Okay, I should get into that shower now.”

“I’m going to sleep. Good luck with your sister!”

Roni went into her bedroom and she was finally able to rest. Her conversation with Cinderella had really helped. She felt better and she knew what she had to do.

The morning after, she got ready and left her house as soon as she woke up. It wasn’t too early so Victoria should be awake.

She was already in front of the other woman’s door when she started freaking out. Maybe it was all a bad idea. She didn’t have time enough to think about backing out because the door opened and Victoria appeared.

“Oh. What… What are you doing here?” The older woman said surprised.

“Can we talk? Please. I won’t take long. I promise.” Roni told her softly.

In other circumstances, or with other people, Victoria would have closed the door and ignored her. But it was Roni and she understood how she felt even if she hadn’t told her anything yet.

Mostly because she felt like that too and she could see it in her eyes. Guilt.

“Come in.” The Mayor told her plainly.

She hold the door so the brunette could come in and then guided her to the kitchen.

“Would you like a coffee?” Victoria asked.

“Uhm… Okay, thanks.”

The other woman poured her a cup of coffee and went back to drinking her own as soon as she handed Roni her coffee.

“I’m sorry. I… I shouldn’t have said the things I did. I judged you without knowing and I shouldn’t have.” Roni told her shy.

“It’s fine. I’m the one that’s sorry, I overstepped. It’s not my place to tell you what to do and it was nice what you did for Cinderella…” Victoria admitted.

“It’s just that… I don’t know… She reminds me of me. And I wish someone had helped me when I needed it. It’s not easy been on your own and not having anyone. I won’t feel bad for that, for helping her. But I took some things off on you and I shouldn’t have.”

“I was having a bad day and I may have overreacted…” The Mayor told her gently.

“I know we haven’t known each other for long and we don’t really know much about the other but… I really want to get to know you… If you let me.” Roni told her.

“I want that too. I really do.” Victoria told her while biting her lip.

She was containing a smile. Roni kept surprised her so much she never knew what to expect.

“How about tomorrow we try whatever yesterday was again?” The brunette suggested.

“Easy tiger. One step at a time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Cinderella centric chapter is coming soon-ish. And I'll get back to Anastacia and Drizella eventually. On the next few chapters I will focus more on Roni's story.  
> I love all of your reviews and they make me superduper happy, so feel free to comment what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

**_The present. Hyperion Heights._ **

She had agreed to meet Drizella after her shift so she was heading towards the Sherriff’s station. The brunette had always been the person in her family that she was the closest to.

Sure, they fought a lot and they were very different but they loved each other anyway. That’s probably what made Cinderella decide to give her another opportunity.

Just before she had decided to leave, they got into a big fight. They had been living together ever since they moved out from the house they grew up in. But, despite what the other woman might believe, she didn’t move out because of Drizella. She did it for herself, because she needed to be on her own.

Their apartment was paid by Victoria so her independence was not that real. She still lived close to her step-mother and everything had to be done by her rules. She wanted to finally be free, even if that meant being alone in the world again.

She was lucky she found Roni and she would be eternally grateful to her for giving her a place to stay and a job. Not many people would do something like that for a stranger.

Now, she was on her way to meet her sister, one of the few people she still considered family at this point. She wanted to make things right with her. Even if she had had reasons enough to leave she could have handled everything better with Drizella.

She was almost there when she saw Drizella coming out of the building.

“Hey.” The other woman told her shy when she saw her.

“Hi.”

“Uhm… If you want we could go grab a drink somewhere…” Drizella suggested.

“Yeah, sure. Roni’s is still open so we can walk there if you want.”

“Okay. You’re working there now, right?” Her sister asked.

“Yeah. Roni is amazing.” Cinder tells her.

“I saw her the other day talking to mom. But I barely know her.”

“Oh, really? Well, they had a fight tonight, I honestly hope they make up.”

“Wait, what? I thought they barely knew each other.” Drizella said confused.

“Oh. Sorry, I thought you knew. I mean, it’s not really my place to say. I don’t even know what’s going on between them…”

“Like what? Did mom argue with her over the noise or something like that? She’s always complaining over the silliest stuff.”

“Uhm… Not exactly. Drizella… I think they like each other.”

“Well, she doesn’t have many friends. It would be good for her.” Her sister said.

“I can’t believe you’re so gay and yet have the worst gaydar ever.” Cinderella told her surprised.

“What?! No. No way. I mean, she was pretty cool with me being gay but she’s definitely straight… Right?”

“I don’t know for sure… But it looked like they were on a date the other day… And Roni was pretty upset about their fight.”

“Wow. I’m… So, she likes Roni? She hasn’t even thought about someone in that way ever since… Since dad died… I don’t know why she didn’t tell me anything.”

“I guess she didn’t want you to think that she forgot about dad or that she suddenly doesn’t care about him or something. Or maybe there’s not much to tell right now.” Cinderella suggested.

“God. I’m sorry. I really got lost into this and I basically forgot about the reason I wanted to see you… We can talk about mom’s love life later…” Drizella apologized.

“It’s fine. Let’s get in and sit down and talk.”

They entered the bar together and chose a table close to the bar counter. After ordering their drinks Drizella was the first one to talk.

“Look… I don’t even know what to say. I feel so bad about all of this… I know we haven’t always been the best sisters but I miss you. The house is not the same without you and after all, you’re one of my best friends… I’m sorry, I really am.” Her sister told her regretful.

“Drizella, is fine. I shouldn’t have left like that. It was not cool. But I can’t live there like that. It has nothing to do with you. I just need to be on my own and live… But I want you in my life too. I miss you too.” Cinderella told her.

“I’m happy for you… Obviously, I would rather have you here but if this is what you want.”

“It is… But, like I said, I miss you too. I don’t want us to go back to when we were kids. You will always be my sister.”

“Okay, I love you but I’d rather rip my heart out than cry in public.” Drizella joked a bit emotional.

Cinderella laughed and it was a sincere and happy laugh. She really missed the other woman. Their relationship had improved a lot over the years and, even though Drizella still had a hard time admitting it in front of Victoria, they loved each other a lot.

“Fine. Now tell me about this Alice I keep hearing about.”

Drizella started blushing. Her relationship with Alice was one of the best things she had and she could finally share it with one of the most important people in her life.

“I don’t even want to know how you found out about that. I’ll introduce you to her one of these days if you want…”

“I’d love to.” Cinderella told her happily.

* * *

 

After their conversation the morning after their fight, they didn’t see each other again that day. Victoria was at her office and Roni had a long shift at the bar. But they had exchanged phone numbers although none of them had actually texted or called the other yet.

Victoria was still thinking about their conversation. After their fight, she felt like she had ruined something there. Instead of trying to fix things she did what she knew best: she ran. Something she had regretted almost immediately.

Seeing Roni coming to her house, apologizing and trying to fix whatever was going on between them meant a lot to her. Mostly because she had almost forgotten what was like to have someone care about your relationship like that. She hadn’t even considered starting something again. Back in the Enchanted Forest it wasn’t even a possibility. Now she was staring at her phone and wondering about what she could have.

Eventually, she left her phone on the desk and went back to her paperwork. She had to focus on her job, she wasn’t sixteen.

Roni was focused on her shift, or at least that was what she was telling herself.

She was distracted and it was all Victoria’s fault. She was still trying to figure out how that woman had made her open up like that. Although she hadn’t told her much, for her it was still a lot.

There were some things she never talked about, and the way she ended up with the bar was one of them. But now she was ready to share that with the Mayor. They had this connection she didn’t know how to explain. She wanted the other woman to know more about her and understand her. It was a new feeling but it was one she was learning to like.

When her shift ended she decided to stop daydreaming and actually do something.

“Hey, this is Roni. I was wondering if you’re free tonight.” She texted the other woman before she would change her mind.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Victoria responded.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be pretty busy for the next few weeks so I will be posting new chapters only three times a week: on mondays, wednesdays and saturdays.  
> I love comments so feel free to tell me anything you want here or on my twitter/cc: @xSqReginax


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, it's been 84 years... I know. I had problems with my computer so I had to rewrite the entire chapter but here it is.

After finally texting each other they tried to meet that same night but it was impossible. Their schedules were a mess. But that didn’t stop them from sending the other small updates of their days.

Half a week went by until they were both able to go out for dinner. Roni decided to call her to clear the details.

“Hi.” She said as soon as the other woman picked up.

Victoria had almost forgotten how sweet Roni’s voice was. That woman was making her lose her breath with just a word.

“Hello Roni.” She greeted the other woman too.

“Sorry I didn’t ask before calling, if you’re busy or something we can talk later.” Roni apologized.

“No. It’s fine. I just left the office.” Victoria told her.

“Uhm… Okay. I was thinking that we can see each other tonight since we’re both free…” She suggested almost shy.

The bar owner couldn’t believe the other woman was making her feel like a teenager again.

“I would like that. There’s a nice restaurant near here that has amazing food. I could make a reservation for tonight.”

“How about I choose the place? Maybe somewhere new for a change.”

Victoria hesitated. Even if she hated her boring life she was still a bit of a control freak. And this wasn’t exactly a situation in which she wanted to lose control. But, she knew that she couldn’t expect less from Roni.

“Fine. Will you at least tell me where are we going? I want to dress properly.”

“It will be a surprise. You can wear anything, you’ll look amazing anyway. How about I pick you up around nine?” Roni asked the other woman.

“Don’t be late.” Victoria said plainly.

“I won’t.”

Roni hanged up after that and went back home to get ready. She still had a few hours left but she wanted everything to be perfect. She called the restaurant and made a reservation. She knew it wasn’t necessary but she wanted to make sure they will have a table.

She was a bit nervous thinking about sharing this part of her with Victoria. Mostly because she didn’t know if the other woman was just as ready as she was to learn more about the other. She tried not to think too much about that and started trying on some outfits.

“Wow. Do you have a date or something?” Cinderella asked her when she saw the other woman.

“Uhm… Yes? No? I don’t know. I’m meeting someone for dinner.” Roni told her.

“Who’s the lucky person? It’s the first time I’m seeing you wearing something other than jeans.” Cinder teased.

“It doesn’t matter. Is not a big deal…”

She didn’t want to tell Cinderella that she had a date with her step-mother. She had seemed fine with it the other day but it was more complicated than that.

“Oh my god. It’s Victoria, isn’t it?” The younger woman realized.

Roni blushed and didn’t answer. She turned around and went into her bedroom to change her dress. It was too much for her.

She ended up putting on a black jumpsuit. It was formal but closer to her style. Although she was making an effort to dress up a bit, she wasn’t going to leave her black leather jacket home.

“What do you think about this?” Roni asked Cinderella.

“About you dating my crazy step-mother or that jumpsuit?” The other woman answered.

“We are not dating!”

“It’s beautiful, you look great. And I don’t mind, really. It’s your life. You don’t owe me anything, on the contrary.” Cinderella told her more serious.

“You are helping me a lot. And I know you two have a complicated relationship. I just want you to know that whatever is going on between her and me won’t change anything between us. You’ll always have a place here and a job at my bar.” Roni assured her.

“And I’ll always be grateful for that. Now go, you wouldn’t wanna be late, would you?”

Roni smiled and took her purse and left. Even if she used her motorcycle most of the times, she had a car too. She was picking up Victoria and a car was more appropriate.

She wasn’t an insecure person but this was new to her. She had had a few one-night stands and crushes over the years but this was something different. She wasn’t entirely sure of where this was going but something was growing there and she wanted it.

It didn’t take her long to drive to the Mayor’s house. She parked right in front of the building and knocked on the door before checking her clock. It was 8:58 pm so she wasn’t late.

The other woman opened the door a few moments later. Roni didn’t know what to say. The other woman looked gorgeous. Not that she was surprised by her beauty, she always looked great. But today there was something more there. She looked happy, she could see it in her eyes and it was so beautiful she couldn’t look away.

“You arrived on time.” Victoria told her.

“Yeah, well, that was the plan. You look great.” Roni said softly.

“You don’t look bad either.”

The Mayor was surprised to see the other woman wearing such nice clothes. Even if she was still wearing that leather jacket, she wasn’t expecting to see something other than jeans.

They walked together in silence until Victoria saw the car.

“This is new. Did you finally get rid of that motorcycle of yours?” She teased.

“No, never. Why? Do you miss it? I bet you were hoping that I’d bring it.” Roni told her smirking.

“Don’t push it.”

They got into the car and the older woman realized that she still had no idea where they were going.

“Are you going to tell me now where are we going?” She asked.

“Wait and see.” Roni told her.

Not too long after that they arrived at their destination. The restaurant was on the outskirts of Hyperion Heights. Victoria barely knew that area and she definitely had never been to that restaurant.

“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna kill you or something. We even have a reservation.” Roni told her when she saw the other woman’s face.

Victoria was surprised but she was excited.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. C’mon. We’re going to be late.” The younger woman told her.

The restaurant was beautiful. It wasn’t very big but it was almost filled with people. As Roni had said, they had a reservation so they took their table. After ordering they started talking again.

“Do you come here much?” Victoria wondered.

“Well, I come from time to time. I love this place but with the bar I barely have the time to come here.” Roni told her.

“How did you find out about this place? I have never heard of it.”

“That’s a long story.” Roni told her smiling.

“Good thing we have all night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter coming very soon. Probably tomorrow. Also, I'm going to start writing a spin off with Alice and Drizella. I'll post as much as I can to catch up with this one so if you decide to read both of them you won't spoil yourself anything. It will just be extra content, if you won't follow that fic you won't miss anything but I have a lot of ideas for their story and I don't want to lose so many chapters of this fic with them.


	12. Chapter 12

Even if Victoria was still not entirely ready to open up so much to the other woman, she felt like Roni wanted to tell her this story, so she let her.

“When I left home I was a bit lost… I didn’t really know where to go or what to do. So, I took my motorcycle and a small bag and I ended up in Hyperion Heights. I was just passing by, I never meant to stay. But I stopped at this restaurant and ordered a coffee because I didn’t really have much money to buy anything else… And then I met Martha. She owns this restaurant. She was just about to close when I came in but she didn’t and she sat down with me and told me her story.” The younger woman started telling her.

“Is that her?” Victoria asked her while looking at the woman behind the counter.

“Yeah. I’ll introduce you to her later, if you want.” Roni suggested.

“I would love too. Sorry, continue.” The Mayor told her.

“We just talked for a while but she inspired me. I didn’t tell her much back then, she didn’t know I was on my own or anything but it meant a lot to me that small conversation we had over a cup of coffee. It helped me find a purpose, I wasn’t there yet but at least I had a place to start. I may have ended in Hyperion Heights by chance but I choose to stay because I saw something here. After that I went to the city and did my best to find a job and a place to stay. It wasn’t easy but I didn’t give up either… Even now that I have Roni’s I still come here from time to time, to remember where I was and how much I grew from that girl that was so lost. It’s strange but… Roni’s feels like home to me.”

Victoria was surprised by the other woman’s story. She knew she must had had a hard time getting where she was now but she didn’t know she had to leave her home. She wanted to know why but the other woman had given a lot already.

“Did you ever tell Martha what it meant for you what she did?” Victoria asked.

“Yeah… She knows. We are close now. Even if I don’t come here that often, we keep in contact.” Roni told her.

“Thank you… For sharing that with me.” The older woman told her.

Victoria really appreciated it. Roni had chosen her to open up to and it meant a lot to her.

“I’m sorry. This was supposed to be a nice evening talking about lighter stuff. I didn’t mean to get all emotional here.” The brunette apologized.

“It’s fine. At least it’s a memorable date.” Victoria joked.

“Oh, so this is a date then?” Roni smiled.

“It was a figure of speech.” The Mayor clarified.

“Interesting figure of speech.”

“Indeed.”

They were close and just teasing each other. It had been intense at the beginning but it ended on a lighter note. Victoria enjoyed their maybe date. She was having fun and just forgetting about everything else.

The only thing she hated about it was that it ended too soon, or at least it felt like it. When she checked her phone, she realized they had been there for a few hours. Time just flies sometimes.

“Wow, is late. We should go. I have a meeting tomorrow morning.” Victoria told the other woman.

“Oh, I didn’t even realize the time.” Roni said.

They paid their meal and headed towards the car. They drove in silence but it wasn’t awkward, on the contrary, it was comfortable.

When they got to Victoria’s Roni walked with her to the front door. When they got there, they faced each other and the older woman broke the silence.

“I enjoyed this.” She told the other woman.

“I did too.” Roni said as she took a step closer.

The brunette was so lost in the hazelnut eyes that were staring at her she forgot about everything else for a moment.

She wanted this. She hadn’t had such a strong connection with anyone for as long as she could remember. Victoria also moved closer so Roni closed her eyes and leaned in and… nothing happened.

When she opened her eyes again she saw the other woman backing out. She was confused. She thought they both wanted the same thing yet the Mayor was rejecting her now.

“Uhm… I should go. I have to be up early tomorrow…” Roni said and turned around.

“Roni… Wait. I’m sorry, I-.” Victoria started saying.

“It’s okay. I got it. Don’t worry. I guess I’ll see you around.” She said before getting into her car and leaving.

And Victoria was just left standing there. She wasn’t sure if she had messed that up or if it was for the best. She was having a great time during their ‘date’ and she hadn’t been so comfortable with someone since James was alive yet there was still something holding her back.

She knew that feeling very well. It was guilt. And also, a bit of doubt. She couldn’t avoid blaming herself for everything that happened to Roni. She didn’t really know how much of that was real and how much was the result of her curse. She didn’t even know how real could their relationship be when it was all built on lies.

What if everything she likes about Roni isn’t even real? What if when the curse breaks the other woman doesn’t want to know anything about her anymore? Or even worse, what if the curse never breaks and she has to live a lie for the rest of her life?

All of this was going through her head at the same time and it was too much. She had no idea how to fix anything.

She changed into her pajamas and opened a bottle of wine. She needed to take a break from everything. But, nothing seemed to be working out very well for her and her phone started ringing. She wasn’t going to pick it up but it was Drizella so she figured it was just a call to catch up.

“Hey, mom.” Her daughter told her as soon as she picked up.

“Hello, Drizella. How is everything going? How is Alice?” Victoria asked.

“Good good. She’s great, as always. I actually called ‘cause I wanted to talk to you about something.” She told her mother.

“Did something happen?” The Mayor wondered concerned.

“No, no. Everything’s fine. I uhm… I saw Cinder the other day.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah… And uhm… We talked for a while…. She’s not coming back though but I don’t know, I was thinking that maybe we could invite her over for dinner. Us and her…” Drizella asked nervous.

“What?! I’m not inviting her to my house for no reason.”

“For fuck’s sake mom, I’m so tired of this feud of yours. She’s my sister. I’m done with this if you don’t make an effort here. I won’t choose between my family.” The younger woman said angry.

This was definitely too much. She could handle losing Roni, is not like she had her in the first place anyway. But losing her daughter, for good, that was more than she could handle.

Even if she couldn’t stand Cinderella, she wasn’t important enough for her to ruin her relationship with the person she loved the most over that.

“I’m sorry, mom. I don’t want to get mad at you over this but I’m sick of be-.” Drizella started saying but Victoria interrupter her.

“Fine.”

“Being always in the middle of your figh-. Wait, what?”

“I said fine. Don’t make me repeat it again because I will change my mind.” Victoria said plainly.

“Thank you so much, really. You won’t regret this.” Drizella promised her.

“I think I’m already regretting this. You can come over the day after tomorrow for dinner. You can bring Alice too.” She said.

“We’ll be there. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” The younger woman told her mother before saying goodbye and hanging up.

That will definitely be an interesting evening, Victoria thought before finishing the bottle of wine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll update this fic as soon as I can. Please let me know how you feel about it! Also, if you want to support me you can do it through my ko-fi page! https://ko-fi.com/J3J47QI7


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